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(No Model.) .7 G. M. LANE.

TELEGRAPH KEY AND SOUNDER.. m No. 372,155. v Patented Oct. 25, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Grains.

GEORGE M. LANE, OF ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY.

TELEGRAPH KEY AND SOUNDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,155, dated October25, 1867.

Application filed February 23, 1887. Serial No. 228,499. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. LANE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Asbury Park, in the county of Monmouth and State ofN ewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TelegraphKeys and Sounders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters andfigures of reference marked thereomwhich form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to telegraph keys and sounders, and has for itsobject to cheapen and simplify the construction of the same bydispensing with the trunnions and pivot-bearings and devising a compactconstruction, whereby such keys and sounders will at all times be heldmidway between their supports and be prevented from binding in theirbearings,.and at the same time will be returned to their normal positionafter being actuated.

The improvement consists in having a coilspring mounted upon the shaftof the key or sounder on each side thereof between it and the supports,and having the outer ends of the springs held by or secured tothesupports and the inner or proximate ends connected with the key orsounder, preferably by an adjustable connection, whereby the tension ofthe springs can be varied at will.

The improvement further consists in the novel features more fullyhereinafter set forth, claimed, and shown in the annexed drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sounder embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a keyprovided with my improvement.Fig. 3 is a side detail view. 7 Fig. 4 is a plan view of the spring.Fig. 5 is a modified form of spring. Fig. 6 is a side detail viewshowing the application of the modified form of spring.

Theshaft Aof the sounder orkey is mounted at each end in the supports BB, and the coilsprings D D, one located on each side of the key orsounder, between it and the supports, have their outer ends, d, extendedoutward .to rest against the supports, and their inner ends connectedwith the key or'sounder, preferably by the set screw 0, so that theirtension can be regulated at will. The inner ends, at, are extendedforward and are united by the crossbar at or by the loop (1, which isintegral with the wire forming the two coils D D. The tension on thesprings can be varied (increased or diminished) by adjustingtheset-screw O, the end of which may bear upon the crossbar or loop. Toincrease the tension the screw is screwed into the key or sounder andforces the ends d of the springs outward or away from the key orsounder, and to diminish the tension the screw is slackened orunscrewed. The screw is fixed in the adjusted position by the binder c.The screw may pass through the connected ends of the springs, as shownin Fig. 6, in which case the tension is increased by tightening thescrew, which advances the ends of the spring toward the key or sounder,or the tension is diminished by slackening or unscrewing the screw, aswill be readily appreciated.

From the above-described construction it will be seen that the key orsounder is not only returned to a normal position after being actu ated,but is at the same time held between its bearings or supports by thecoilsprings, so that no binding can take place by a side thrust of thekey or sounder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcut, is

1. The combination, with the shaft of akey or sounder and the supports,of two coilsprings, one located on each side of the key or sounder,having their proximate ends united and adjustably connected with the keyor sounder and their outer ends held by the supports, substantially asset forth.

2. The combination, with the key orsounder and the supports, of the twocoil-springs having their outer ends extended laterally to engage withthe supports and their proximate ends projected forward and connected,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with the key or sounder and the supports,of twocoilsprings formed of a single wire, having their outer ends extendedlaterally and their proximate ends projected forward and united by aloop integral with the wire composing the coils, substantially as shownand described.

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4. The combination, with the key or sound- In testimony whereof I affixmy signature in er, of the two coil-springs mounted upon the presence oftwo Witnesses. shaft of the key or sounder and held between T 4 the sameand the support for preventing lat- GEORGE LAB 5 eral thrust of the keyor sounder, and means, \Vitnesses:

substantially as set forth, for adjusting the ten- \VM. B. CHRISTINE,sion of the springs. JOHN ROCKORFELLER.

